Sri Lanka reduce India’s lead to 389 (Lunch Report)
By IANSTuesday, November 17, 2009
AHMEDABAD - Sri Lanka did well to restrict India to 426 in the first innings and reduced the lead to 389 by the lunch break on the second day of the first cricket Test here Tuesday.
At lunch, Sri Lanka were 37 for no loss with Tillekaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Pranavitana batting on 18 each at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera here.
India could add only 41 runs to their overnight score of 385 for six as the last four wickets barely lasted an hour.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Chanaka Welegadara (4/87) got some swing right from the start and Muttiah Muralitharan (3/87) got a good purchase to pack up India’s innings in 15 overs.
Rahul Dravid failed to add to his overnight score of 177 and played on, with a thick edge from Welegadara’s inswinging delivery.
Harbhajan Singh (22) and Zaheer Khan (12) offered some resistance with their 25-run partnership.
Harbhajan looked at ease against the fast bowlers and drove them through covers for two fours. Zaheer also cut Prasad for two back-to-back fours as 21 runs came off the first six overs.
But the early introduction of spin did the trick for the visitors. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath trapped Zaheer leg before wicket while Muralitharan picked up Harbhajan and Ishant Sharma to wrap up the innings.
